Cretas: Iberian Traces, Churches and Trails

Culture

The Iglesia Parroquial de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora y de San Juan Bautista in Cretas is a stone church from the 16th century, combining Gothic and Renaissance elements. As a Bien de Interés Cultural, it is protected in the Monument category. An inscription on the façade dating from 1566 names Xado as its builder.

The construction of the San Roque Chapel was prompted by the plague epidemic in Cretas in the 17th century. It stands beside a former gate in the town wall and has a hemispherical dome. On 16 August, it was opened to the public as part of the San Roque festival.

The Ermita de la Virgen de la Misericordia is protected as a Bien Catalogado del Patrimonio Cultural Aragonés. It was built in the mid-16th century in the Levantine Gothic style with decorative Renaissance elements. The pilgrimage to it takes place on the second Saturday in May.

The Iberian settlement of Els Castellans is part of the Iberos en el Bajo Aragón route. The Centre of the Iberians in Cretas offers an educational and interactive experience about the Ruta de los Íberos in Bajo Aragón. The Centre is divided into five exhibition rooms and covers, among other topics, writing, languages and Iberian epigraphy in Bajo Aragón.

History

The medieval cemetery of Cretas is a restored site open to visitors, with funerary stelae dating from the 12th to the 15th century. It contains around 20 stelae, including originals and faithful replicas.

Casa Castillo El Deume is a historic building in Cretas with entrances featuring pointed arches, a lobed window and loopholes. Font de la Barra is a historic well located below ground level, with ashlar walls and a paved access ramp.

At Roca dels Moros in Cretas, Juan Cabré discovered three red depictions of deer in 1903. A rock art group in the Calapatar ravine near Cretas was discovered in 1908.

Cretas's Plaza Mayor dates from the 15th and 16th centuries. Its dating adds another chapter of the town's history to the sacred and archaeological evidence.

Trails and Landscape

The Primers Pobladors route begins in the municipality of Cretas near the old Vía Verde railway station, passes through the town centre and runs through landscapes with centuries-old olive trees, grapevines, peach and almond trees, as well as small wooded areas.

The Vía Verde is accessible via the Valderrobres-Cretas station. The Mirador de los Puertos de Beceite is located in the town of Cretas. For planning purposes, the route through the town, cultural landscape, viewpoint and Vía Verde can be considered as different trail themes.

Festivals and Dates

The Wine Fair and Medieval Market of Cretas takes place every year in spring, usually on the weekend of Palm Sunday. The medieval market of Cretas recreates traditional crafts and scenes from bygone eras.

Other Places

Other places: Cubla, Abejuela, La Iglesuela Del Cid, Castellote, Rubiales, Fuentes De Rubielos, Montoro De Mezquita, Montalbán

To the overarching travel overview: Teruel.